1990 Range Rover Classic

[BigSur]

Anyone a fan of those? I found a pretty sweet one nicely setup for a good price that i am thinking of jumping on. 85K on the clock so its a low mileage one and in great shape with no rust. Lifted, winch, front and rear bumpers, sliders, rack on top Hella lights. Thoughts? Good trucks? Strong engines?

 

[jcj_78FJ40]

My bro-in-law is a big Rover fanatic and has a well built 91 RR so I know some of the differences through him.

Some things to be aware of:

Somewhere around 89 or 90, the RR went from a geared center diff to a Viscous coupled center Diff. The VC center diff is the Borg Warner full time case w/ clutch packs and is supposedly not as durable, especially when the clutches wear out. Also, the RR has course splined axels, as opposed to the fine spline axes used in the Discos.

A popular mod is to upgrade using Axels and the geared TC from a Disco.

Even still the axels and differential are much smaller than a Land Cruiser. Another more evolved mod is to use Land Cruiser/Tacoma 3rds and Land cruiser axels.

Personally, I think these rigs are great for moderate trail riding. They have a great suspension, good amount of room, great for family outings.

Some good resources:
www.discoweb.org/
www.rovertym.com

 

[n0up]

I have just aquired a 1989 Range Rover and have been doing the reading on them. They started using the viscous clutch in the transfer in 89, they use a aluminum 3.9 liter V-8 (1960's Buick 215) that has around 160 hp stock. They are hard to get parts for and very expensive to repair. There were around 5000 imported in 1990, so not many used parts either.

Having said that, they are nice trucks and good platforms to work with, just know that they are going to be more expensive than a Cruiser to work on, and not quite as rugged.

Oh and I aquired the 89 in a trade, me instaling (labor only) a engine in a 300ZX and doing some other repairs on a old Buick.

 

[BrettinSanAntonio]

They are hard to get parts for and very expensive to repair. There were around 5000 imported in 1990, so not many used parts either.

Having said that, they are nice trucks and good platforms to work with, just know that they are going to be more expensive than a Cruiser to work on, and not quite as rugged.

They are not hard to get parts for and the parts are often less expensive than the parts for my LX450.

Rovers North and Atlantic British catalogs have pages and pages of new parts. The company I work for, Texas Land Rover Service, has an entire yard of parts trucks so if you need a used part, they're not hard to find. Do a parts search on eBay and you'll be surprised how many used and new parts are available.

Now if you're going to pay someone to work on your rover, yes, it probably will cost you more to maintain than a Toyota. Personally, I find Rovers easier to work on than my Land Cruiser but that's just me.

 

[alia176]

I used to have a 1990 RRC but I think a post 1995 RRC would be a better choice. Lots of improvements and the interior is quite nice. Post 1992 RRCs that are long wheel bases (LWB) came with a 4.2L so a little more pep. Just an opinion.

 

[agomez]

They are not hard to get parts for and the parts are often less expensive than the parts for my LX450.

Rovers North and Atlantic British catalogs have pages and pages of new parts. The company I work for, Texas Land Rover Service, has an entire yard of parts trucks so if you need a used part, they're not hard to find. Do a parts search on eBay and you'll be surprised how many used and new parts are available.

Now if you're going to pay someone to work on your rover, yes, it probably will cost you more to maintain than a Toyota. Personally, I find Rovers easier to work on than my Land Cruiser but that's just me.

that's because you are a landrover mechanic...

 

[BrettinSanAntonio]

that's because you are a landrover mechanic...

No, I'm not a mechanic of any kind. Old Land Rovers just have more room in their engine compartment than 80 series Land Cruisers.